A Nice Way to Relax

I think the best way to relieve some stress is to do something active that you love. For me that might be a dance class, dinner with friends, or a long walk in the park. Better than just a long walk in the park? A long walk in the park on a beautiful fall day right as the light is perfect and I happen to have brought my camera to work.

I find photography requires just the right level of concentration, not too much that I get a headache trying to focus but not too little that I'm distracted by shiny stuff. Central park is oddly enough not a great place to shoot. I was in the heavily wooded and touristed Ramble I didn't have the right lens to take the really detailed shots that I often take in nature. But I did discover that taking pictures of statues in great afternoon sunlight, as opposed to people playing soccer or rollerblading, is an easy, almost sure thing on a frazzeled afternoon.

I've very much enjoyed taking pictures. I almost feel ready to take the camera beyond auto and maybe experiment with a flash. I think I just need to read the manual or perhaps I can find a Nikon D70 for dummies book. I did discover that iPhoto has some basic editing features that allow me to play with color balance and what not and I've managed to fix a few photos which were too dark.

I'm also thinking of participating in a photo scavenger hunt which I'm sure will make fascinating blog posts now that the growing season in Brooklyn is basically done!